The knowledge people with learning disabilities and their carers have about psychotropic medication

Authors:
HESLOP Pauline, FOLKES Liz, RODGERS Jackie
Journal article citation:
Tizard Learning Disability Review, 10(4), October 2005, pp.10-18.
Publisher:
Emerald

Psychotropic medications are a treatment commonly used for people with learning disabilities. Legislation and guidance suggest that, for a person to give informed consent to treatment, they must have knowledge of the potential treatment. This study of 21 people with learning disabilities, and their carers and prescribers, living in four different regions of England, suggests that few of the people with learning disabilities were fully informed about their treatment.  Many of their carers said that although they know how to administer the medication, they know little about why the person was taking it and what the implications might be. Despite this, people with learning disabilities made the general assumption that carers would, or should, know everything about their medication. The current provision of information to people with learning disabilities and carers was found to be poor. For key strategies identified in supporting people with learning disabilities in obtaining information about medication were spending more time providing and reiterating key information, providing accurate, up-to-date, accessible information about medication, providing training for carers in wider aspects of medication usage, and tailoring information to each person's individual needs.

Subject terms:
learning disabilities, medication, user views, access to information, carers;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
England
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN print:
1359-5474

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